Friday, 22 December 2017

THE United States government says it is ready to work with
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration, but has encouraged Zimbabwe to
stop relying on the US dollar and instead introduce its own currency.

Acting Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Don Yamamoto
told the Zimbabwe Independent on Tuesday from Washington DC during a press
briefing on the US strategic priorities that his country was keen to work with
Zimbabwe on economic and political reforms so as to help put the country in the
right direction.

“As you know, the United States and other countries do have
sanctions on Zimbabwe. Even though we have provided US$220 million this year in
assistance levels, it’s going to community-based groups. What we want to do is
we want to open and expand this opportunity, because again, you know, Zimbabwe
was an economic great country in the past, it was the breadbasket of the south,”
Yamamoto said.

“Today it imports food; its financial institutions are not
in great shape. They have to go into the US dollar. That’s good and bad; I
mean, it stabilises, but it’s bad because Zimbabwe should have control of its
own finances. It shouldn’t be dependent on United States or outside. And those
are some of the reforms that we recognise need to be done immediately in
short-term and also long-term.

“And so we were committed to working with the Mnangagwa
government, and also the people of Zimbabwe to really effect strong
institutions, democratic processes and really economic and political reform
that are meaningful and will get the country moving in the right direction.”

Official sources last year told the Independent the US is
unhappy with Zimbabwe’s poor anti-terrorism, money laundering, externalisation
and illicit financial flow enforcement mechanisms which are exacerbated by
porous borders.

The concerns resulted in government fearing the US could
bar the country from using the greenback as its anchor currency. Zimbabwe
Independent